Add desktop and VNC to Ubuntu on AWS

setup_vnc.sh

#!/bin/sh
# Created by: Grant Ridder <[email protected]>
# Instructions taken from the below link unless noted
# http://stackoverflow.com/questions/25657596/how-to-set-up-gui-on-amazon-ec2-ubuntu-server

# SET THESE VARIABLES TO YOUR OWN!!!
# begin
VNC_PASSWORD="<password up to 8 char long>"
SSH_KEY="</path/to/your/ec2/ssh/key.pem>"
# end

sudo apt-get update

echo "lightdm shared/default-x-display-manager select lightdm" | sudo debconf-set-selections
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop -y
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop -y # some stuff fails dependencies the first run

# debconf settings from https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gdm/+bug/1020770
echo "debconf debconf/priority select critical
gdm shared/default-x-display-manager select lightdm" | sudo debconf-set-selections
sudo apt-get install vnc4server expect gnome-core gnome-session-fallback -y

prog=/usr/bin/vncpasswd

/usr/bin/expect <<EOF
spawn "$prog"
expect "Password:"
send "$VNC_PASSWORD\r"
expect "Verify:"
send "$VNC_PASSWORD\r"
expect eof
exit
EOF

vncserver

vncserver -kill :1

rm ~/.vnc/xstartup


cat <<EOT >> ~/.vnc/xstartup

#!/bin/sh

# Uncomment the following two lines for normal desktop:
#unset SESSION_MANAGER
#exec /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc

# gnome session workaround
# http://broderick-tech.com/vncxstartup-files-ubuntu-14-04/
export XKL_XMODMAP_DISABLE=1
unset SESSION_MANAGER
unset DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS

gnome-panel &
gnome-settings-daemon &
metacity &
nautilus &
gnome-terminal &


[ -x /etc/vnc/xstartup ] && exec /etc/vnc/xstartup
[ -r $HOME/.Xresources ] && xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
xsetroot -solid grey
vncconfig -iconic &
#x-terminal-emulator -geometry 80x24+10+10 -ls -title "$VNCDESKTOP Desktop" &
#x-window-manager &
EOT

chmod 755 .vnc/xstartup

vncserver

PUBLIC_IP=$(curl http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/public-ipv4)

echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ VNC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
echo ""
echo "Public IP: $PUBLIC_IP"
echo ""
echo "To VNC in:"
echo -e "\tssh -L 5902:localhost:5901 ubuntu@$PUBLIC_IP -i $SSH_KEY -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no"
echo -e "\tConnect to: vnc://localhost:5902"
echo -e "\tPassword: $VNC_PASSWORD"
echo ""
echo ""
echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"